This research project is investigating the effects of having a very low birth weight premature infant on family functioning as well as studying differences between premature and full-term infant behavior. We are concluding a study of 30 premature infants and 30 full-term comparison infants using a structured research paradigm. The paradigm assesses the child's relationship with his mother as well as free play behavior, the child's persistence at difficult tasks and cognitive development at 12 months of age. In addition, a clinical interview is conducted which assesses, in part, issues of family disruption and the presence level of family functioning. From our preliminary findings it would seem that premature infants and their mothers may have a closer and perhaps more "over-protected" relationship than full-term infants and their mothers. For example, in our free play situation there is a greater amount of contact and proximity to mother by premature infants. A high percentage of mothers of premature infants describe that they had treated their child differently because of the prematurity most stating that this was in the direction of being more protective and lenient. In addition, the premature infants had been left by their mothers an average of 5 times per month, as compared with full-term infants who had been left 9 times per month. Of mothers in the premature sample, 15 percent had gone back to work during the year after their infant came home from the hospital while 42 percent of the mothers of full-term infants had gone back to work. It was quite interesting that our study families have not experienced any divorces or relinquishment and therefore have not had the degree of family disruption described by others. We feel there may be a number of factors contributing to this difference, including major changes in the hospital environment which allow for appropriate individualized support for families during their infant's hospital stay as well as more systematic follow-up upon hospital discharge.